The Economic Collapse
Have you ever thought about getting your food out of a trash can? Don't laugh. Dumpster diving has become a hot new trend in America. In fact, dumpster divers even have a trendy new name. They call themselves "freegans", and as the economy crumbles their numbers are multiplying. Many freegans consider dumpster diving to be a great way to save money on groceries. Others do it because they want to live more simply. Freegans that are concerned about the environment view dumpster diving as a great way to "recycle" and other politically-minded freegans consider dumpster diving to be a form of political protest. But whatever you want to call it, the reality is that thousands upon thousands of Americans will break out their boots, rubber gloves and flashlights and will be jumping into dumpsters looking for food once again tonight.
During the recent economic downturn, the popularity of dumpster diving has exploded. Today, there are dumpster diving meet-up groups, dumpster diving Facebook groups, and even entire organizations such as Food Not Bombs that openly encourage their members to go dumpster diving. If your family was going hungry, would you go dumpster diving? You might be surprised at who is doing it. Dumpster diving is not just for the homeless and the unemployed anymore. A lot of people that have decent jobs have picked up on the trend. Unfortunately, even though our economy is rapidly falling apart and most of our leaders are either deeply corrupt or completely incompetent, most Americans are still way too apathetic. If you can believe it, the American people spend a whopping 53 million minutes a month on Facebook. Hopefully we can get more Americans to wake up. Hopefully we can get them to understand that they need to get active, that they need to prepare and that they need to get their priorities in order. Right now, dumpster diving is cute and fun and an interesting way to save money, but in the future there will be millions of Americans digging around in trash cans if we don't get this economy turned around. This country is rapidly changing, and not for the better.
During the recent economic downturn, the popularity of dumpster diving has exploded. Today, there are dumpster diving meet-up groups, dumpster diving Facebook groups, and even entire organizations such as Food Not Bombs that openly encourage their members to go dumpster diving. If your family was going hungry, would you go dumpster diving? You might be surprised at who is doing it. Dumpster diving is not just for the homeless and the unemployed anymore. A lot of people that have decent jobs have picked up on the trend. Unfortunately, even though our economy is rapidly falling apart and most of our leaders are either deeply corrupt or completely incompetent, most Americans are still way too apathetic. If you can believe it, the American people spend a whopping 53 million minutes a month on Facebook. Hopefully we can get more Americans to wake up. Hopefully we can get them to understand that they need to get active, that they need to prepare and that they need to get their priorities in order. Right now, dumpster diving is cute and fun and an interesting way to save money, but in the future there will be millions of Americans digging around in trash cans if we don't get this economy turned around. This country is rapidly changing, and not for the better.
In another article it claimed 15% of the population is in poverty. What exactly is that based on?
ReplyDeleteI assume they related that to food stamps. The truth is that many making only 19K are better off right now than people making 50K (or more). If people don't manage their money correctly, overspend, use credit cards, take out loans, and have excess crap they can't afford... their stuff gives the impression that they're okay.
(Similar to the way we're trained to picture a college graduate being better off... far off the mark.)
Much of the things-are-fine illusion is augmented by the internet as well as TV. The goofs on facebook or myspace can make up anything they want to, with their 12000+ friends they've never even met before. I never thought people could be so retarded.
All incomes are in the same boat. I suppose if you're a millionaire or billionaire you could afford gold and food more so. How many are actually doing that? The dollar is going to die, and all the US dollars in the world will be worthless. Those under the six figure salary line are all in poverty. You can hardly tell a difference between them.
On my street alone, over the last three years people have come and gone it's hard to remember some of them. Each had several vehicles, their kids were always out front with the best toys, and everything seemed fantastic appearance wise.
Things were not as dandy as they looked. And yet, some of those who lost their homes might have had higher incomes than others who did not.
Obviously a bum is a bum, and there are real cases of poverty quite extreme that don't fit this example.
Overall, it sounds like the classification of poverty fallaciously anatomized by government statistics is used to downplay the whole predicament so Americans can think it's just a small group affected ("we'll recover..."), and also attempt to arouse class warfare.
If people are happy spending hours a day talking about the great lives they don't have, then why would they bother to imagine losing the crap lives they do have?
I think the number of people on food stamps is 45 million. Unemployment is officially at around 9%, but in reality it's probably double.
ReplyDeleteJust because some people still have the stuff they bought when they had money doesn't mean they aren't poor now. Hey, I have a TV I bought on credit six years ago, but it doesn't make me rich.
But you are right that the government plays with numbers. Things are much, much worse than they claim.